On the Pro Football Focus College Football Show, college football analyst Max Chadwick called USC Trojans' Jonah Monheim "the most underrated offensive lineman in the country," and Monheim's former teammate Caleb Williams agreed.
Monheim has been with the Trojans since 2020 and protected Williams during his two seasons with the team. While the QB has moved on to join the Chicago Bears in the NFL, the offensive lineman will return to Los Angeles for his fifth year.
Williams echoed Chadwick's statement and took it up a notch by calling Monheim "The best" on his Instagram story.
The USC duo had their best year together in 2022 when the Trojans made it to the Pac-12 championship. The team only lost once in the regular season and were one of the favorites to win the national title that year. However, their dreams were crushed after losing to the Utah Utes.
Despite the loss, Williams had the best year in his collegiate career and won the Heisman Trophy. That wouldn't have been possible without the protection that the likes of Monheim and other OLs gave.
Caleb Williams on the status of his contract with the Chicago Bears
Williams is expected to start for the Chicago Bears as Justin Fields had already left the team, but the No. 1 draft pick is yet to agree on a rookie deal which has kept fans on the edge. He spoke out for the first time on the issue during the Bears' minicamp, and it seemed like all will be sorted out soon.
"I'm not handling that. I've been focused on these past three days of minicamp, the OTAs before that, and rookie camp before that. ... I have lawyers and attorneys to handle things like that so I can be free-minded on the field, enjoying coming into work every day and working my tail off,” he said on the issue.
The 2024 NFL season will kick off in September so there is still some time to sort things out. Based on ESPN's report, the QB is set to receive an estimated $39.5 million contract for four seasons together with a $25.5 million signing bonus. It remains to be seen how long it takes before the deal gets done.
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